Open Space

Traditional open space is a scarce resource in Chinatown. In 1991 Reverend Norman Fong envisioned utilizing Chinatown’s forty-one alleyways as a source of open space for the community. He founded the Adopt-An-Alleyway Youth Empowerment Project, which has evolved into a grassroots empowerment youth program to clean and green alleyways. In addition, the San Francisco Planning Department adopted Chinatown CDC’s Chinatown Alleyway Master Plan in 1998 as a guide for the renovation of the core alleyways in Chinatown.